Friday, January 30, 2015

Exciting stuff going on over at H&M this year. They just launched a newly expanded sports collection! This push-up sports bra is what really got me all gaga over the collection in the first place. I'm a pretty flat-chested lady, something that I used to be pretty self-conscious about growing up. I imagined that I was Madonna and would stuff my Mickey Mouse printed Jockey bra with tennis balls and dance around the living room like a maniac. Life goals man. But I have since then learned to embrace my dainty ant hills. Because being able to go bra-less and totally get away with it on a regular basis is pretty much more than awesome. Bra-less at the gym is usually not an option though. That's just awkward because gym creepers sadly do exist (see me eye rolling as I curl my biceps and shoot eye darts at anyone trying to knock me off my gym game with their creeper stare). Sports bras are actually my favorite part of getting dressed for the gym! It's fun to know you have something super bright and funky on underneath your basic gym gear. This sports bra from H&M is sleek and simple, but up close it's everything but basic. It's like a sporty version of a wonder bra. Adjustable in the back and with just the right amount of molded curve to give a girl like me a little extra something while she twerks it on the elliptical. Sometimes it's fun to actually pretend you have boobs.

I try to make it to the gym at least 2-3 times a week and I'm always pretty casual when it comes to attire. I go to sweat and release energy, not impress. It's not like there's really anyone cute at my gym to get dressed up for anyways, but you know what, getting dressed up for YOURSELF can just about be the best thing you can do for yourself at the gym. The saying "You feel good when you look good" really is true. No matter who is or who isn't looking at you.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I've always drawn to the colors and culture represented in the Chinatowns of the world. So diverse yet so directed. So vibrant and pulsing with life of the young and new, yet respectful of its past heritage and those who built it up. The steady flow of grandparents and grandchildren united all in one place. A flow only broken up by the footsteps of tourists and one time visitors. Knick knacks and things with no more meaning to them than the cartoon on its package or knick knacks and things with meaning that runs deeper than the root of even the largest potted Chinese bamboo tree. The smell of fish on the sidewalk fighting against the smell of fresh baked breads and red bean buns. That against the smell of cigarettes from the stumbled in hipsters exploring from Downtown LA. Instax cameras in hand. A reliable place where I can go to the same restaurant for what seems like the past 15 years and the menu will always be the same. Where my temptations to eat something with a weird, unpronounceable name and where my taste for all that is spicy, burning hot and tear-inducing can be thoroughly fulfilled. A place where I feel both a stranger but also just a regular. A place where I can enjoy with my eyes, ears, nose and fingertips the colors and curves and just be inspired by that.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

There's no place like . . . In n' Out. Okay, so let me tell you . . . I really can't get enough. Had it more than just a few times back in California during my last trip. Anthony Bourdain really got it right when he laid down the simple and straight up facts that there really is no better composition than that of an In n' Out burger. Animal style, of course. Currently, it will haunt my dreams until I get my ass back to the west coast. Hopefully sooner than later. Funny enough, the first burger that I actually ever ate was an In n' Out burger when I was 15 years old. Before then, I never ate beef and I wasn't even a vegetarian. The look of it just always freaked me out (weird I know). But obviously that changed one very, very hungry day. In this situation, all I can say is thank goodness for peer pressure. Oh, and the outfit . . . after contemplating these pictures during the creation of this post, I for some reason feel like it's a modern day version of Rosie the Riveter's. And in her respect, I applaud my right to eat an In n' Out burger whenever I like (at least when I'm on the best coast). And I will never give in to Shake Shack. (The Pepsi cup is from Costco BTW, another indulgence of mine lol).

Monday, January 26, 2015

I'm a huge fan of discovering and testing out new products that can shake up my skincare routine in a progressive way. One of my latest and brightest finds in this department is the luxury skincare brand Sunday Riley. I have been regularly using their Effortless Breathable Tinted Primer for two weeks and already my skin has seen a positive difference. It's almost as if my skin can actually breathe more! This super sheer primer feels extremely lightweight, with just the tiniest splash of color that still seems to cover up any extra redness I have. I slasher a light layer of it over my daily moisturizer and then just finish off with some concealer for a simple weekend face. This might seem a little too bare for most, but I always believe that the most important part of feeling good about the way you look starts with the foundation of your skin. Once you have that, everything else is just extra. Maybe just a quick curl of the lashes and a filled-in brow, that's it.

A bonus of this tinted primer is that it is fortified with Rejuvenox, an antioxidant complex that helps oxegenize and plump up the skin by reducing and neutralizing the amount of free radicals that cause damage and aging. Hey, I'm all for that! I love science!

Check out some of the other Sunday Riley products that I have been using lately, as well :)

Sunday, January 25, 2015

___Sorry if this post feels totally uncalled for and I deserve all the eye rolls my fellow New Yorkers and everyone else living up over on this side of Amuuuuurica are giving me right now, but I had to indulge. Couldn't resist but spend one late morning lounging by the pool back home in California during the holidays. My happy hormones skyrocketed this day. I without a doubt need my daily dosage of those sun vitamins. I almost forgot how much better my body felt with them. But then again, I also just wanted an excuse to bust out this monokini made by the lovely Mikoh girls. Because bold pops of color also enhance happiness, just FYI.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Feeling a lot of what the title of this post says. But really it's all my fault. Working the freelance life really can create some funky loops in your work and sleep schedule. For me, most of the time this means late, late nights catching up on work and long lost emails that need much attending to. My mornings start early prepping for the day (7:30AM / 8AM the earliest on a normal day) and if I'm not working out of my home office, I'm usually trekking into the city for a gig or a slew of meetings in various locations. Then if I'm not catching up with my friends or on a date (oh boys), the day will end with maybe an evening event or the gym. Then once I'm finally home it's back to work again. I'm a workaholic I KNOW. I like the feeling of getting ahead of myself and just doing more and more and more. But this way sleep doesn't start until 2AM for me on most days sadly. And I WILL NOT WAKEUP without my alarm clock. And this doesn't even including how and when and where I attempt to throw in some much needed Netflix time. Hello . . . American Horror Story Coven. Zip, zero, nada sleep.

I've really been trying harder to get to that moment of shut eye earlier on purpose, and not only when my body physically shuts down on itself that I fall asleep mid-edit with my laptop open on top of me. Sad image I know. With my work, there is no such thing as a break and it's nearly impossible to accomplish it all if I give my body the amount of rest it actually needs to function properly and healthily. So there are many days when I overdose on caffeine until I feel like my eyes are going to pop out. Or I just face the day perpetually feeling and looking like pure shit that not even my prettiest red lipstick can cover up.

And you know what, maybe I don't need to stay up an extra hour and two at night to finish a day's worth of photo editing or a blog post that I procrastinated on before realizing too late that the deadline was actually much sooner than I thought. Maybe I just need to give in to my actually knowledge that sleeping will literally shrivel all my worries away, and that I'll feel better about myself in the morning even with a heaping to-do list laid out in front of me. Getting that pressure to cram things all into one night off my back might just be the best thing for my mind, body and soul. I've started with tea to help me.

I've realized that tea definitely has been helping me become more at ease in the mornings and right before I go to sleep. It calms my nerves and makes me relaxed (and not lazy) in a good way. The mix of the slow heat, aromas and all the other supposedly good things in tea (I'll trust the experts on this one) definitely creates a nourishing chemical reaction. But I know that it is also a mind game. Believing that it will help me actually does help me. Mixing some tea and some actual thoughtful writing is the best way for me to say hello to the night I have found. And starting off with tea in the morning reinvigorates me. So I've been working hard to have a cup of tea before my ONE AND ONLY morning cup of coffee. That way the antioxidants in my tea balances out the sugar in my coffee. Or at least I like to think about it that way. Yup. BALANCE.

Life without balance is completely off kilter and unmanageable. Your mind may think you can manage it, but your nerves think otherwise. That doesn't mean you need to overhaul everything in your life all at once to get to that point where you are completely ying and yang. It all starts with baby steps. For me right now, it's all about having a more balanced sleep and work schedule so that my mind and body feels always on point with whatever I need to tackle during the day efficiently. I most likely won't succeed every single day with this, but with passing time I will get closer and closer to that. It all just takes effort because you want it just as much as you need it. Easier said than done, I know . . . but sometimes saying it enough just might be that extra push to actually do it.

Okay, I think I've said too much. How the heck did I end up rambling so much????? Must have been the tea.

Sweet moments from a day spent exploring Ventura Beach back home in California. This little beach town was where my friends and I escaped on the weekends during our high school days. A not so far drive in the opposite direction of Los Angeles from our funny little valley town. My last and most horrific sunburn was right here on this beach (I've started to use sunscreen much more intensely since then). The drives to and from were spent listening to Hot Hot Heat, Phantom Planet, Silversun Pickups and The Killers with the windows down and the air streaming through the cracks between my fingers. Leftover strains of salt lingering within the crackage of my split ends. Little life simplicities that I still take joy in today, but that I realize now felt so different back then. So much more clear. So much more untouched. Memories will always been the most beautiful thing I know I can hold onto.

Meet Dylana Suarez

EMAIL: dylanainwonderland@gmail.com

My name is Dylana Suarez. My friends call me Dy. I'm a creative consultant, writer, stylist, self-taught photographer and style blogger. I've worked in so many different aspects in the fashion industry so far, from freelance journalist to creative copywriter to e-comm stylist to social media manager. This blog has followed me along the entire way. Now I do it all via DYLANA/SUAREZ. Born and raised in sunny Southern California but currently based out of NYC (since May 2013) after a two year layover in Philadelphia. Fashion is what makes me wake up in the morning. Writing clears my head and mends my heart. Stories help me sleep at night. I see the world through my camera lens. This is my little online fashion diary, and I hope you enjoy reading it and coming along for the ride.